802ParkAve1974everythingtonothingtoeverything

Next to playing sports, writing about them is the next best thing. But I love why I will not be able to work for a while.

Like the Beatles beautifully said a long time ago, "I'll never lose affection for people and things that went before. I know I'll often stop and think about them. In my life, I love you more." That is how I feel about all those in my life.

802ParkAve1974everythingtonothingtoeverything

This has never been about me. It always has been about a person I love, a person who makes the world a better place, a person who inspires me and means so much to me. It always has been about that person. A kidney is a small price to pay for this person's well-being and future. If this person needed my heart they would get it.

Outside of my beautiful daughter being born and seeing her grow and develop into the wonderful girl she is and marrying my gorgeous wife, this is the best thing I have ever done. I've done wrong in my life as everyone has. But this feels so right. I've not always been the person God wants me to be, but I try. Hopefully this is just the start of something I can do to give back.

To the Sun-Gazette readers, I will be out of action for a while after this happens. I hope to be back soon but time will tell how long I am out.

I will miss writing on a daily basis for the time being. I love this job and love working with this community.

802ParkAve1974everythingtonothingtoeverything

Never have I been so happy, so excited to have major surgery. There was a time when the thought of losing my kidney would have been as appealing as a root canal...or as watching Rush Limbaugh provide weight-loss tips. These days I am praying to lose it. I cannot wait to lose it.

I will be losing a kidney soon. I will be saving two lives. So, go ahead, hack away at my insides.

Originally, I was hoping to be a single donor for someone I deeply care about. When I was rejected as a single donor we moved to phase II which was a paired program. So now, my loved one gets a kidney and I donate to someone who desperately needs one. This is truly a case of the more, the merrier.

Am I scared? Absolutely. But the excitement, the joy of helping others far outweighs that fear. The pain will go away, the scars will diminish. The lives will continue. That makes this all worthwhile. That is the reward